Animal protection organizations demanded the release of elephants held in a zoo from a U.S. court, but the request was dismissed. The court stated that elephants cannot file a writ of habeas corpus since they are not human.
On the 22nd (local time), according to reports from Reuters and the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), the Colorado Supreme Court dismissed a request from the animal rights protection organization "Nonhuman Rights Project" to release five elephants from Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs.
Earlier, the animal rights protection organization argued that elephants are highly intelligent and empathetic animals and showed symptoms of trauma, brain damage, and chronic stress when held in a zoo. They also claimed that the elephants should be moved to appropriate sanctuaries instead of a zoo.
The organization demanded a writ of habeas corpus for these elephants, a right for individuals who are detained to seek physical freedom from the court.
The Colorado court dismissed the case, stating that elephants cannot file a writ of habeas corpus because they are not human. In this unanimous ruling, the court explained that the writ of habeas corpus procedure "applies only to humans and not to non-human animals," regardless of the animal's cognitive abilities.
The court also explained that this case is not a judgment about the species of elephants themselves but rather about whether elephants have the legal standing to file a writ of habeas corpus.
Judge Maria Berkenkotter, who handled the case, stated that this case "did not raise our concern about these magnificent animals (the elephants) as a whole or these specific five elephants," adding, "Since elephants are not human, they do not have the standing to file a writ of habeas corpus."
The Nonhuman Rights Project later issued a statement, claiming that the ruling subjected the five elephants to "lifelong mental and psychological suffering." Meanwhile, the zoo welcomed the court ruling, criticizing the lawsuit filed by the Nonhuman Rights Project as a frivolous lawsuit that wastes money and time.